Shin guard boots

ABSTRACT

Provided herein is a riding boot having a shaft and an incorporated shin guard on an anterior side within a lining of the shaft, wherein the shin guard protects a user&#39;s shin when the boot is worn, and wherein the shin guard wraps around at least a portion of a left side and at least a portion of a right side of the user&#39;s shin.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/059,572, filed Jul. 31, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference, to the extent that it is not conflicting with the present application.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to footwear, and more particular to protective athletic footwear.

2. Description of the Related Art

Equine athletes and general equine enthusiasts encounter cuts, bruises and breaking of shins due to high impact hits from barrel racing, polocrosse, trail and endurance riding. Generally, the available products on the market for shin protection are separate Velcro shin guard pieces. Many equine athletes and equine enthusiasts choose not to wear these because they can be uncomfortable, or the Velcro used to attach the shin guards are uncomfortable. Furthermore, attachment of separate shin guards can be cumbersome and provide an undesirable or unbecoming appearance in the riding world. Therefore, there is a need to solve the problems described above.

The aspects or the problems and the associated solutions presented in this section could be or could have been pursued; they are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches presented in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their presence in this section of the application.

BRIEF INVENTION SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In an aspect, a riding boot is provided, comprising a shaft and an incorporated shin guard permanently secured on an anterior side within a lining of the shaft, wherein the shin guard protects a user's shin and knee when the boot is worn, wherein the shin guard wraps around at least a portion of a left side and at least a portion of a right side of the user's shin, and covers the anterior side of the knee, and wherein the shin guard is tapered such that the shin guard is wider at a top end than at a bottom end, and the shin guard comprising an impact absorbing material.

In an aspect, a riding boot is provided, comprising a shaft and an incorporated shin guard on an anterior side within a lining of the shaft, wherein the shin guard protects a user's shin when the boot is worn, and wherein the shin guard wraps around at least a portion of a left side and at least a portion of a right side of the user's shin.

In another aspect, a method of constructing a riding boot with an incorporated shin guard is provided, the method comprising: cutting a shin guard from a flexible impact absorbing material, wherein the shin guard comprises a rounded knee protection area at a top end and an instep cutout at a bottom end; inserting the shin guard into a lining on a shaft of the riding boot; and securing the shin guard within the lining.

Thus, an advantage of the riding boots and methods provided herein is that a user does not need to wear additional protection for their legs while participating in equine sports or activities. The user can be provided with protection and absorption of high impacts to the knee and shin area during equine events without the need for additional bulky protective gear. The riding boots provided herein can be worn during any equine activities and events, including, but not limited to, jackpots, rodeos, polocrosse, barrel racing, endurance and trail riding.

The above aspects or examples and advantages, as well as other aspects or examples and advantages, will become apparent from the ensuing description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes, aspects, embodiments or examples of the invention are illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a cutaway view of a riding boot 100 cut into halves in a sagittal plane, according to an aspect.

FIG. 2A depicts a side view of a riding boot 200 with an incorporated shin guard, according to an aspect.

FIG. 2B depicts a front perspective view of a riding boot 200 having an incorporated shin guard, according to an aspect.

FIG. 3 depicts a top view of a riding boot 300 having an incorporated shin guard, according to an aspect.

FIG. 4 depicts a top view of a plurality of shin guards 401 in production, showing the high-impact material used for construction of the shin guards, according to an aspect.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

What follows is a description of various aspects, embodiments and/or examples in which the invention may be practiced. Reference will be made to the attached drawings, and the information included in the drawings is part of this detailed description. The aspects, embodiments and/or examples described herein are presented for exemplification purposes, and not for limitation purposes. It should be understood that structural and/or logical modifications could be made by someone of ordinary skills in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined by the accompanying claims and their equivalents.

Provided herein are Western or English riding boots (generally referred to herein as “riding boots”) having a variable shaft height for adults or children, the boot providing coverage to the shin area of the rider with a shin guard comprising high-impact absorbing padding sewn, glued, or Velcro into the lining of the interior of the shin area of the shaft of the equine riding boot.

The shin guard comprising an impact absorbing material is sewn, glued, or secured by Velcro into the inside lining of the shaft of the boot and can extend over the knee and shin area. By being kept in place by the shaft, the provided riding boot eliminates the need for a separate Velcro shin guard or external securing means to keep a shin guard in place.

It should be understood that the boots provided herein can be used for equine sports and activities, but can also be used for other activities, such as, but not limited to, motorcycle riding, cycling, and the like.

It should be understood that, for clarity of the drawings and of the specification, some or all details about some structural components or steps that are known in the art are not shown or described if they are not necessary for the invention to be understood by one of ordinary skills in the art.

For the following description, it can be assumed that most correspondingly labeled elements across the figures (e.g., 101 and 201, etc.) possess the same characteristics and are subject to the same structure and function. If there is a difference between correspondingly labeled elements that is not pointed out, and this difference results in a non-corresponding structure or function of an element for a particular embodiment, example or aspect, then the conflicting description given for that particular embodiment, example or aspect shall govern.

FIG. 1 depicts a cutaway view of a riding boot 100 cut into halves in a sagittal plane, according to an aspect. The cutaway view of the boot allows for the shin guard 101 to be partially visible within the interior of the boot. It should be understood that, in some embodiments, the shin guard 101 is not visible from the exterior of an intact riding boot as provided herein. The shin guard can cover the entire front and side of the shin of the user for protection during impact horse sports or general protection from horses, and so on.

Incorporation of the shin guard 101 into the interior lining of the riding boot 100, rather than use of a separate shin guard piece attached to the rider's leg, can improve freedom of movement for the user. Furthermore, usability of the shin protection can be improved for the user, due to being able to easily and comfortably wear jeans or leggings in the boot with the shin guard protection built into the boot. Eliminating the need for Velcro straps or other similar means for securing a separate shin guard to the leg may also improve the riding experience for the user, due to no longer having straps cut into the legs or restricting movement.

FIG. 2A depicts a side view of a riding boot 200 with an incorporated shin guard, according to an aspect. Region 202 depicts the length of the riding boot 200 where the shin guard may extend underneath the material of the boot, which may be leather, synthetic, or any other suitable material, for example. FIG. 2A also provides exemplary dimensions of the riding boot, wherein the length of the shaft may be about 16 inches to about 20 inches. In some embodiments, the length of the shaft may be about 12 inches to about 20 inches.

FIG. 2B depicts a front perspective view of a riding boot 200 having an incorporated shin guard, according to an aspect. As shown, the shin guard can be fully enclosed and incorporated into the shaft of the boot such that it is not visible from the exterior of the boot. FIG. 2B also provides an exemplary length of 18 inches of the riding boot shaft. Again, region 202 indicates an exemplary length of the shin guard within the boot shaft.

FIG. 3 depicts a top view of a riding boot 300 having an incorporated shin guard, according to an aspect. The region indicated by the broken lines encircling area 304 shows where the shin guard can be located in the lining 309 of the boot, such that the shin guard protection encircles a portion of the user's shin. In some embodiments the riding boots provided herein comprise a shaft and a shin guard on an anterior side within a lining of the shaft, the shin guard protects a user's shin when the boot is worn, by the shin guard wrapping around at least a portion of a left side and at least a portion of a right side of the user's shin. In some embodiments, the shin guard covers the front side of a user's knee when the boot is worn.

FIG. 4 depicts a top view of a plurality of shin guards 401 in production, showing the high-impact material used for construction of the shin guards, according to an aspect. As an example, the material can be polyurethane such as PORON® polyurethane, or any other suitable impact absorbing material. The polyurethane material is thin and flexible, and upon impact, disperses high-impact energy in order to prevent injury to the user's legs.

The shin guards 401, comprising a high-impact absorbing material padding, can next be permanently incorporated into the lining of a riding boot. In some embodiments, the shin guards 401 can be permanently incorporated by sewing, gluing, or any other suitable means, for example. In some embodiments, the shin guards 401 can be removably incorporated into the lining of a riding boot, such as, for example, by using Velcro to secure the shin guards within the lining. In such embodiments, the user can insert or remove the shin guards as needed.

As depicted in FIG. 4, the shin guards 401 can be cut from a suitable material such as polyurethane into a desired shape for molding around a user's legs. The shape can include a knee protection area 405 comprising a rounded portion at a middle of a top end of the shin guard, designed to cover and protect a user's knee when the riding boot is worn. The knee protection area 405 can be shaped such that it covers the entirety of or a portion of a user's knee when the boot is worn. In some embodiments, the knee protection area 405 covers the outside or perimeter of the top of the knee.

The shin guard can also include an instep cutout 406, to accommodate the shape of a user's instep when the shin guard is wrapped around the shin and at about the ankle area. The shape of the instep cutout 406 can also help to provide additional protection to the ankle of the user, and can cover the entirety of or a portion of the user's ankle when the boot is worn. Additionally, the shape of the shin guard 401 can be tapered to accommodate the shape of a user's legs, such that the shin guard is wider at a top end 407 than at the bottom end 408.

It should be understood that a removeable separate pad can also be used with the riding boot having an incorporated shin guard, for additional impact protection. Additional protection can be secured by Velcro, for example, to the outside of the boot interior lining, and can be used as needed.

It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used in this patent document. The term “couple” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, whether or not those elements are in physical contact with one another. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and/or. The phrases “associated with” and “associated therewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like.

Further, as used in this application, “plurality” means two or more. A “set” of items may include one or more of such items. Whether in the written description or the claims, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “carrying,” “having,” “containing,” “involving,” and the like are to be understood to be open-ended, i.e., to mean including but not limited to. Only the transitional phrases “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of,” respectively, are closed or semi-closed transitional phrases with respect to claims.

If present, use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in the claims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote any priority, precedence or order of one claim element over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method are performed. These terms are used merely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain name from another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements. As used in this application, “and/or” means that the listed items are alternatives, but the alternatives also include any combination of the listed items.

Throughout this description, the aspects, embodiments or examples shown should be considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus or procedures disclosed or claimed. Although some of the examples may involve specific combinations of method acts or system elements, it should be understood that those acts and those elements may be combined in other ways to accomplish the same objectives.

Acts, elements and features discussed only in connection with one aspect, embodiment or example are not intended to be excluded from a similar role(s) in other aspects, embodiments or examples.

Aspects, embodiments or examples of the invention may be described as processes, which are usually depicted using a flowchart, a flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may depict the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. With regard to flowcharts, it should be understood that additional and fewer steps may be taken, and the steps as shown may be combined or further refined to achieve the described methods.

If means-plus-function limitations are recited in the claims, the means are not intended to be limited to the means disclosed in this application for performing the recited function, but are intended to cover in scope any equivalent means, known now or later developed, for performing the recited function.

Claim limitations should be construed as means-plus-function limitations only if the claim recites the term “means” in association with a recited function.

If any presented, the claims directed to a method and/or process should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Although aspects, embodiments and/or examples have been illustrated and described herein, someone of ordinary skills in the art will easily detect alternate of the same and/or equivalent variations, which may be capable of achieving the same results, and which may be substituted for the aspects, embodiments and/or examples illustrated and described herein, without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of this application is intended to cover such alternate aspects, embodiments and/or examples. Hence, the scope of the invention is defined by the accompanying claims and their equivalents. Further, each and every claim is incorporated as further disclosure into the specification. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A riding boot comprising a shaft and an incorporated shin guard permanently secured on an anterior side within a lining of the shaft, wherein the shin guard protects a user's shin and knee when the boot is worn, wherein the shin guard wraps around at least a portion of a left side and at least a portion of a right side of the user's shin, and covers the anterior side of the knee, and wherein the shin guard is tapered such that the shin guard is wider at a top end than at a bottom end, and the shin guard comprising an impact absorbing material.
 2. The riding boot of claim 1, wherein the top end of the shin guard comprises a rounded knee protection area.
 3. The riding boot of claim 1, wherein the bottom end of the shin guard comprises an instep cutout.
 4. A riding boot comprising a shaft and an incorporated shin guard on an anterior side within a lining of the shaft, wherein the shin guard protects a user's shin when the boot is worn, and wherein the shin guard wraps around at least a portion of a left side and at least a portion of a right side of the user's shin.
 5. The boot of claim 1, wherein the shin guard is fully enclosed within the lining of the shaft.
 6. The boot of claim 4, wherein the shin guard comprises impact absorbing material.
 7. The boot of claim 4, wherein the shin guard comprises polyurethane.
 8. The boot of claim 4, wherein the shin guard is from about 12 inches to about 20 inches in length.
 9. The boot of claim 8, wherein the shin guard is about 18 inches in length.
 10. The boot of claim 4, wherein the shin guard extends from about an ankle to about a knee of the user when the boot is worn.
 11. The boot of claim 4, wherein the shin guard covers a knee of the user when the boot is worn.
 12. The boot of claim 4, wherein the shin guard is flexible.
 13. The boot of claim 4, wherein the shin guard is permanently incorporated into the lining.
 14. The boot of claim 4, wherein the shin guard is removably incorporated into the lining.
 15. A method of constructing a riding boot with an incorporated shin guard; comprising: cutting a shin guard from a flexible impact absorbing material, wherein the shin guard comprises a rounded knee protection area at a top end and an instep cutout at a bottom end; inserting the shin guard into a lining on a shaft of the riding boot; and securing the shin guard within the lining.
 16. The method of claim, wherein the shin guard is about 12 inches to about 20 inches in length.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the securing step comprising sewing.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the securing step comprises gluing.
 19. The method of claim 15, further comprising enclosing the lining over the shin guard such that the shin guard is not visible from an exterior of the riding boot.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein the securing step comprises removably securing the shin guard into the lining. 